So, it’s been a little quiet around here for the past 10 weeks or so. No, it’s not because I did that thing where you start a new blog and then after a few weeks the novelty wears off and you kind of forget it ever happened. No, that’s not what happened. Something else happened that has pretty much changed everything.
OK, don’t be scared. I’m not going to reveal that I’ve been diagnosed with a frightening illness (knock on wood, please). But around mid-February, on the fourth anniversary of our first date (you celebrate that, right?), my husband and I found out that we were going to be trying on a new role: parents.
It wasn’t a surprise or unplanned, just to put that out there. Just quicker than we’d expected. So there was that and everything kind of sped up from there. We told our families a couple of weeks later but didn’t tell the world until after the first trimester mark. It’s funny – I am one of those people who was all “What’s the big deal?” and then my natural, anxious, neurotic self came in and said “It doesn’t matter if it makes sense, just do what I tell you.” That side always wins because it has true, irrational fear on its side.
My employer was the next to know and since then, it’s been an interesting game of “Do you know or don’t you?” with pretty much everyone we know. I’ve had the one-on-one conversation with lots of my direct contacts at work and I’m guessing other people might know, or think I’m just getting fat. Both are true – my weight gain is mostly mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.
I’ll make an effort to not have everything on this blog revolve around pregnancy the next few months, but some of it probably will. It’s a pretty major life change and it has severely curtailed my wardrobe overhaul. I’ve already bid a tender farewell to 3 pairs of jeans and worn jeggings to work. I’m on a mission for extra small, petite maternity clothes to get me through, but I’m faced with a challenge: I don’t want to spend a ton of money on maternity clothes, but I also don’t want to spend the next several months looking dumpy. If I thought dressing my regular, pre-pregnancy body was a challenge, this is a whole new ball game.
As the youngest of the youngest in my family and without any previous close-baby experience, I’ve also been introduced to this strange world of babies. It’s like a secret society that operates via blogs and a multitude of pregnancy tracking apps. Today I learned what a nipple shield is. Tomorrow, who knows? Also, I’m amazed at how many photos I’ve seen of women wearing nothing but a bra and panties while “showing off their bump.” Put something on, guys. You’re making me feel awkward about feeling like I need to tell you not to put mostly naked photos on the internet.
I’m off now to do about 30 minutes of cleaning and before I sit down for an inevitable nap. Exciting times, my friends.